Dear Parents, Students and Inspire Community

Dear Parents, Students and Inspire Community: I want to thank the parents, guardians and family members who attended Back-to-School-Night yesterday. As a staff, we see that we have a strong partnership with all of you and know that our working together mean a great deal to the success of our students. Just a reminder that grade reporting in Aeries will be updated, at the least, every three weeks. If you do not have the information you need to enter the Aeries portal, we have that in the office, and when you come to pick it up, you’ll need a photo id. The grade reporting is primarily to let you see performance after the fact or missing assignments. Many of our teaching staff use their web sites to show upcoming assignments, so this is another good source for you. If you have any questions related to your student, direct email to the teacher is an effective way to get timely information. On to the news and info items this week. Palio Tomorrow – 12-5 pm, Bidwell Park Near One-Mile – Inspire Students will be Performing and Racing! This is a wonderful annual event culminating in a traditional horse race. Our students have been involved every year. I encourage everyone to go and check it out. It is a celebration of the arts and of our community. We have a couple of performances around 1:30 and the band “Clean Ocean” – all Inspire students – will be playing at 4 pm for an hour. Inspire Board of Directors Meeting, Monday, 7pm, Room IC6. If you’re interested in attending a board meeting, the Inspire Board normally meets the 2nd Monday of every month. Our next meeting is this Monday at 7pm, in room IC6. We are delighted to have folks attend. Pianist Alpin Hong to Be Artist in Residence at Inspire On September 29th, staff will escort the entire student body to CSU, Chico for an hour-long concert with Mr. Hong (see bio info below). After returning to school, he will give two guest workshops, one for instrumental music and one for vocal music. We want to thank CSU, Chico and Stephen Cummins, director of Chico Performances for partnering with us to bring this rich experience to Inspire students.

Alpin Hong’s appearance In Chico is part of the True North Concert and Workshop Tour. Chico Performances, University Public Events and Chico State are pleased to partner with the arts councils of Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tehama and Butte counties to present this unique artist performance and educational residency tour of the North State. During his outreach to the north state, Mr. Hong will be visiting the communities of Red Bluff, Weaverville, Redding, Weed, Mt. Shasta, and Chico. Biography: Pianist Alpin Hong Whirlwind American tours and performances around the globe have earned pianist Alpin Hong a reputation as a modern day Pied Piper. His combination of stunning technique, emotional range and rare humor continues to bring audiences young and old to their feet. The New York Times lauded his “crystalline energy … clear and persuasive ideas … and remarkable breadth of coloration,” and called him “a pianistic firebrand” in a review of his standing-room-only New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Other critics have raved about Hong’s performances: “Hong’s warmth, charm and seemingly boundless energy were contagious, and he brought those qualities in abundance to his performance of Beethoven’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 3”, Op. 37 in C minor’ with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra” praised the Mobile Press-Register. The Idaho Statesman said that “Hong cut a magnetic physical presence and charmed the audience with engaging, powerful movements that were fun to watch. Throughout the piece he and the orchestra showed a wonderful give and take.” Rooted in extensive classical training as well as having a background in skateboarding, snowboarding, martial arts and video games, Hong is a creative force unmatched in his youthful vivacity and boundless energy. His astonishing ability to connect with people of all ages, experiences and backgrounds distinguishes him and shapes his evolving performance style. The Ocala Star-Banner called Hong’s music “classical for the iPod generation.” Hong’s uniquely humorous and visionary approach to arts education has resulted in artistic residencies worldwide. In recognition of the pianist’s gift for communicating his passion for music to audiences of all ages, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. honored him with the Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach. His tireless pursuit to find, inspire and collaborate with talents in every community results in unforgettable presentations that both expand worlds and hit close to home. In 2011, Hong completed performances in all 50 states. In August of that year, he made his debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Later that summer, an audience in Crested Butte, Colo., witnessed Hong in an unprecedented collaboration with multiple-Grammy-Award-winning bluegrass and folk-rock legend John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The pianist’s triumphant return in 2011 to the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colo., featured the world premiere of “Sonata for Mallets and Piano” by Mike Garson, featuring percussionist/composer Simon Boyar, as well as collaborations with festival directors Andrés Cárdenes and Monique Mead. Hong and Boyar went on to collaborate in a two-week residency in Las Vegas/Henderson, Nev., during which they shared their musical gifts with thousands of area students. The grand finale of this residency featured the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra in a Halloween concert titled "Heroes and Villains, Might and Magic.” A light- saber duel, and the premiere of Boyar and Hong’s composition “Heroes and Villains” for piano, percussion and orchestra, was a spectacle of light and sound that thrilled the capacity crowd. In December 2011, Hong performed as a guest artist at the White House as part of the White House Holiday celebration. Hong is a native of Michigan and made his orchestral debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra at the age of 10. He moved to Los Angeles soon after and garnered competition victories at a young age with wins at the 1989 Stravinsky Piano Competition, the 1993 Southwestern Youth Music Festival (SYMF) Competition and the 1994 Los Angeles Spotlight Awards competition. Hong was the winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in 2001. His piano teachers include Mark Richman and the late Emilio del Rosario. Hong completed his master’s degree as a student of Jerome Lowenthal at The Juilliard School. Inspire Coordinating Year-long Grant Multi-School Collaboration Grant to Explore Ways to Improve Student Engagement in Learning Last year Becky Brown wrote and was awarded an EngagEd grant. Teachers from charter and public schools, K-12, will work together to share best practices in instruction around student engagement. Teachers will be researching best practice, sharing and developing new instructional tools, and sharing best practices. Danielle Reynolds is coordinating the professional development. This kind of collaboration benefits student learning, and we’re excited that we can help build a bridge between charter and traditional schools.

As Diana Lam says in Phi Delta Kappan, February 2014, (Vol.95, #5, p.35-39), “Every school has something to learn and something to teach. There is nothing fundamentally different about the students or a teachers at a public school, private school or charter school…Real reform occurs when teachers convene, trade ideas, implement and refine them in their classrooms, and become sounding boards and resources for one another…. When teachers can reach through the political haze of school competition, students and communities benefit.”

Inspire’s Official Facebook Alive and Well!

Thanks to Lisa Higbee, Inspire’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inspire-School-of- Arts-and-Sciences/246595487927) is alive and well and full of regular updates. Lisa has posted a challenge if you’re interested: We have 914 likes on our facebook page. Let's get to 1000!!!!!!!!! If you are on facebook, please like our school page (we post tons of info there!) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inspire-School-of-Arts-and-Sciences/246595487927? sk=timeline and then invite all your friends to like it. If you are the one thousandth person to like this page, you will win a free throw to dunk Mr. Nilsson AND Mr. La Bar in the dunk tank at our 4th Annual Taste of Inspire on Sept 21!!! News from Counseling!

PSAT: The PSAT is just around the corner! The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT!! Everyone is encouraged to take this test in preparation for the SAT. JUNIORS!, this is highly recommended for YOU!. Inspire offers this test on campus. Registration will be in the main office and begin on September 8, 2014 at a cost of $20 until October 10, 2014. If you choose to wait and register the week of the test, your fee will be $25, so plan early! The test is conducted on October 18, 2014 from 7:45-12:00. This is a Saturday test and will follow the structure of the SAT. This is a great experience and perfect for practice!

SAT: Are you ready for the SAT? SENIORS, if you have not taken the SAT yet, it is strongly recommended you take either the October or November test. Two dates are open for registration now. Juniors! Look to take your first SAT in the Spring. Reminder: Students must register online for the SAT at sat.collegeboard.org/. Inspire does not hold testing for the SAT. Students must register to take the test at a school closest to where they live. Students can find approved testing locations on the collegeboard website. The next testing dates are:

Test Date Registration Deadline October 11 September 12: Regular Registration Deadline September 26: Late Registration Deadline November 8 October 9 : Regular Registration Deadline October 24 : Late Registration Deadline ACT: Students may also be interested in trying the ACT college admission test. This test offers a section of Science yet the Writing portion is optional. However, please enroll in the writing portion as your college may require it. You can register for the ACT on their website at act.org. Inspire does not hold testing for the ACT. Students must register for the test on the ACT website and register to take the test at a school closest to where they live. Students can find approved testing locations at act.org. The next testing dates are:

Test Date Registration Deadline October 25 September 19 December 13 November 7 Yearbooks are now $80. You can purchase a yearbook in the office or buy one online at www.yearbookordercenter.com. There is also a payment plan option available with cash or check purchases ($40 due before December and $40 due by April, 2015). Mark Your Calendars with these Important Upcoming Dates! Chico Palio Sept 6th – 12-5pm – Once Mile Inspire Board Meeting Sept 8th – 7pm – IC6 Taste of Inspire Sept 21 – 4-7pm – Inspire quad Spirit Week Sept 22-26 School Picture Make-up Sept 23 – in the morning Senior College Night for Parents and Seniors Sept 24 – 6pm – IC-21 Day on the Purple Sept 25 – 1:30pm – Inspire quad Free and Reduced Lunch Accounts expire next week Vince Enserro, Director of Nutrition Services, wanted us to share that last year’s Free & Reduced lunch eligibilities expire on 9/5/14. If you have not renewed your students free & reduced lunch application (it must be renewed every year), your student will begin being charged for lunch starting next Monday. Applications are available from nutrition services at 891-3021.

Gridley Carpool Opportunity If you are interested in participating in a carpool from Gridley, please contact Angela at 530-354- 1155.

Good Attendance Critical to Student Success Attendance in school makes a huge difference to student success. At Inspire, with the A/B schedule, missing a day carries more weight. Please work with us to have you student every day as long as they’re healthy, that is!!! It is also so important to establish good attendance habits as early as possible. Additional email addresses for e-blast If a second (or third) member of your family would like to receive our email newsletter (e-blast), please send the student name and additional email address to Jana at [email protected]. Students from Inspire performing in Alice in Wonderland Jr. Production Chico Performances, Blue Room Young Company and Enloe Medical Center are partnering together to bring you Alice in Wonderland Jr. this September 25th at 7:30 p.m. Seven Inspire students are in the production. Tickets for this performance are $15 Adult | $13 Senior | $8 Youth | $10 Chico State Student. You may purchase tickets online at www.chicoperformances.com or at the box office location on the corner of 3rd and Chestnut Streets. It was great to see everyone on Thursday evening. Keep your feedback, suggestions, comments and concerns coming our way! Eric Nilsson Principal

Eric Nilsson Principal